Fire extinguisher



June 4, 1929.- A, c, BADGEFQ 1,715,347

' FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Oct. 22, 1926 fm/amim":

Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR G. BADGER, 0F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

Application filed October 22, 1926. Serial No. 143,410.

The present invention relates to portable fire extinguishers of the typein which pressure to expel the extinguishing liquid is applied by gasunder pressure which is confined initially, either in the gaseous stateor in'the compressed and liquefied state, in a closed and hermeticallysealed cartridge, and is released at the time of use by puncturing thecartridge. More particularly, it relates to extinguishers of this typewhich are adapted to be inverted when the gas holding cartridge ispunctured, and to be held in the inverted position while in use. Theobjects of the invention are to arrange and support the gas holdingcartridge in such manner that it will be enveloped in the extinguishingliquid and in a position to receive heat therefrom substantiallythroughout the entire period of discharge, whereby to prevent suchchilling of the contents of the cartridge, owing to expansion, as wouldcause a part of such contents to freeze, when used under low temperatureconditions; and to provide an improved means for puncturing thecartridge and maintaining an open passage of prescribed and invariablearea for escape of the confined gas.

The manner in which these objects are accomplished and the essentialcharacteristics of the invention are fully disclosed in the followingspecification with reference to the drawings, which respectivelydescribe and illustrate the now preferred embodiment.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of a fire extinguisher containingthis invention;

. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fi .1; i I

fiig. 3 is a fragmentary detail section on a larger scale illustratingthe action of the punch element of the apparatus in puncturing andopening the gas cartridge;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the punch.

Like reference characters designate the same parts in all the figureswherever they occur.

The casing or body of the extinguisher consists of a shelll, which maybe made of drawn out the circuit of its upper edge by a continuousweb14. Beneath the web 14 there is an annular space 10 between the innerand outer walls which is continuous except where it is interrupted bythe web 8. 'At the lower extremity of the inner wall 7 is an interiorshoulder or ledge 11, and from the lower end of this Wall projectdownwardly four, more or less, arms 12, separated by intermediate spacesopen to the space 10, and connected together at their lower ends by aring 13 which furnishes an internal shoulder of less interior diameterthan the shoulder 11.. Those parts of the ring 13 which adjoin the arms12 form, in effect, hooks or ledges on the lower ends of such arms.

The outer wall of the head at one side is enlarged or formed with a bossin which are a valve chamber and discharge passage 16, and a tapped hole17 into which a screw plug 18 carrying a valve may be mounted. A hole 15is formed in the web 14 to connect this valve chamber with the annularspace 10. The outer surface of the head is recessed and faced off incomplement to a shoulder 19 on the plug so as to receive this shoulderand an intermediate packing gasket.

A.valve casing 20 is screwed into a recess in the plug 18 and its innerend is forced by the plug 18 against a washer or gasket 21 supported bythe outer surface of the web 14. In the valve casing is a passage inline with hole 15 and surrounded by a valve seat 22, and a transversepassage 23 into which this passage opens and which leads to thedischarge passage 16 in the head. A spring pressed valve 2 1 is mountedin the valve casing and is normally held by its spring against the seat22 to prevent accidental loss of the extinguishing liquid byevaporation, or otherwise.

A hose 25 may be screwed into the tapped orifice of the dischargepassage 1.6, for the usual pur ose of directing the liquid whendischarged The abutment rin or shoulder 13 previously mentioned is aapted to support a cartridge 26 by means of a shoulder 27 formed orapplied externally on the cartridge. The dimensions of the several partsof the head, and of the cartridge, are such that the cartridge may beinserted through the neck 3 when the cover cap is removed and may bepassed through the inner wall 7 and the shoulder 11 thereof and onwarduntil the shoulder 27 brings up against the abutment ring 13. Thecartridge is then retained in place by a follower or retainer plate '28,which is adapted to rest on the shoulder 11 and is pressed toward thesame by a spring 29. The length of the cartridge above its shoulder 27is substantially equal to the distance between the shoulders 11 and 13,so that the retainer plate 28 may bear squarely and firmly on theshoulder 11, and at the same.

time bear tightly enough on the cartridge also, or lie so close to thecartridge as, in connection with the liquid seal formed as hereinafterdescribed, to prevent any substantial leakage of gas between thecartridge and plate, and cause the gas to flow through a hole 35 in theplate out of contact with the extinguishing liquid, when the cartridgeis discharged.

The sprin 29 reacts against a shoulder 30 formed on t e exterior of aguide sleeve 31 which projects inward from the cover cap 4 and providesa bearing for the punch later described. The upper end of the springpreferably surrounds the end part of this sleeve and is coiled about-itso tightly as to be thereby, in effect, united to the sleeve; or it maybe secured otherwise. The lower end of the spring rests on, and ispreferably soldered to, a ring 32 which rests freely on the retainerplate 28 and is confined between four, more or less, lugs or hooks 33 onthe plate. The ring 32 is provided as a freely rotatable bearing memberto permit rotation of the spring as the cover cap is screwed into placeso that the spring will not be distorted thereby.

The cartridge 26 holds the charge of compressed fluid which serves toexpel the extinguishing liquid when the extinguisher is to use. I preferto fill the cartridge with uefied carbon dioxide under high pressure. Imay, however, use any other highly compressed gas in the gaseous orliquid state. By the use of the term gas in this specification, I meanand include those substances which are gaseous at ordinary atmosphericpressure and temperatures and which, although they may be liquefiedunder abnormal conditions, revert to the gaseous state when releasedfrom confinement at temperatures approximating the ordinary atmospherictemperatures.

The cartridge is preferably made of iron or steel having an initiallyseparate body and cap united by butt welding after filling with thecompressed gas, as explained in my prior applications for-LettersPatent, Serial. No. 692,468, filed February 13, 1924, and Serial No.(34,047, liled October 21, 1925. The shoulder 27 may be formed by themetal which is bulged out at the wcldcd joint and afterwards properlyshaped, or it may be formed or applied otherwise. The walls of thecartridge are thick and strong enough to withstand the pressure of theconfined charge and -to resist damage from other causes, but in the endwall of the cartridge next to the retainer plate 28 is a small area 34where the wall is reduced in thickness so that it may be penetrated by apunch to release the confined charge. This reduced area is preferably inthe center of the end wall; and in the corresponding part of theretainer plate is a hole 35 to permit passage of the punch and of theescaping gas.

The punch above referred to is designated by the numeral 36. It isprovided on the in ner end of a stem 37, mounted slidably in the guidesleeve 31 of the cover cap and passing through a stuffing box 38 in theouter end of said guide, and having 'a terminal 39 capable of beingstruck or pushed upon to force the punch toward the cartridge. Normallyit is withdrawn from the cartridge, where it is retained b the frictionof the stuffing box packing, alt ough it may rest on the cartridge, butis prevented by an enlarged part 40 on the stem from being whollywithdrawn through the cover cap. The part designated 41 is a guard bailwhich normally passes across the outer end of the punch stem to preventaccidental inward driving thereof, but it may be turned aside whenoccasion arises for operating the punch.

The punch 36 is designed to cut a hole in the adjacent wall of the gascartridge while leaving an integral attachment at one side between thepart out out and the wall, and then to enlarge and completely till thehole except for a passage of the proper size to permit dischar e of thegas at a predetermined rate. e major part of the punch is of uniformcross section, preferably cylindrical, but its extreme end portion isslightly tapered at 42. It has an end face 43 of nearly as large area asthe cylindrical part, between which and the tapered sides is a distinctedge 44 made as a cutting edge, except for a limited part at one side,.where it is dull. The end face 43 is preferably flat, as I have foundthat the cutting edge made between'such a face and the sides of thepunch remains sharp and in good cutting condition longer and after moreuses than when made in any other way. The taper of the punch extremityis not great enough to make it pointed, or even nearly so, and is onlyenough to make the cutting extremity smaller than the adjacent part ofthe punch in the degree which insures that the punch will fill andexpand the cut out hole, and make such tight engagement with the rim ofthe hole so as to prevent any substantial leakage of gas around thepunch, but will not enlarge the hole enough to break or tear its rim andso make an unduly large passage through which the gas may escape.

The gas outlet passage is provided by a groove 45 at one side of thestraight part, that is, wholly above the tapered zone, and of suitablelength to cross the wall of the cartridge after the penetration of thepunch therethrough as far as it will go. The dimensions of the openingbounded by this groove and the side of the hole in the cartridge wallwhich crosses it are of exactly known values, so that a passage of thesame size is opened in all cartridges, permitting outflow of the gas ata rate which has been determined as best suited to maintain flow of theextinguishing liquid throughout the whole period of discharge thereofwith projection of the stream to a given distance, and without eitherimposing too much pressure at the beginning, or causing the pressure tobecome too small at the end of the discharging period. A lip or shoulder46 beside the punch is adapted to limit penetration of the punch intothecartridge, and it is located where it will so arrest the punch beforethe upper end of the groove can be advanced into the cartridge andobstructed by the wall thereof. The punch and its stem are furtherconstructed so as to leave the grooved side without any obstructionswhich would oppose outflow of the gas.

A tube 47 is set into the passage 9 and extends well toward the bottomof the extinguishershell for the purpose of conducting liberated gas,when the extinguisher is inverted and put to use, through the liquidwithout mixing with it, and causing the gas to exert pressure directlyon the exposed surface of the liquid which is then uppermost.

In charging the extinguisher, the extinguishing liquid is first pouredinto the open mouth when the cover has been removed and before thecartridge has been inserted. Any suitable liquid may be used for thispurpose, including Water, but for extinguishers liable to be exposed totemperatures below the freezing point of water, I prefer to use anon-freezing liquid, for instance carbon tetrachloride, or anon-freezing solution of water and a salt, for instance, calciumchloride. Enough liquid is thus poured into the extinguisher to fill itto a point where the gas cartridge will be wholly or largely submerged.That is, the extinguisher may be filled nearly to the level of theshoulder 11. Then the gas cartridge'is inserted and the cover cap,carrying the punch and the cartridge retainer 28 and its spring 29', is

applied and made tight. Owin to the con nection of the spring to the guie sleeve and cartridge retainer, these parts are removable andapplicable to the extinguisher with the cover cap as a unit.

In use, the extinguisher is inverted and the punch forced inward, afterthe guard bail 41 has been moved aside to leave the end of the punchfree for striking it. The cutting end of the punch penetrates the thinpart of the adjacent cartridge wall, completely severing the major partof a disk 48 from this wall by means of the cutting edge 44, andpartially severing it at the side where the punch is-lcft dull, leavingthe disk attached to the cartridge wall at this side. The tapered zone42 of the punch enlarges the hole slightly, and the straight part of thepunch immediately following comes into close and tight engagement withthe rim of the hole, preventing any appreciable leakage of the gasaround it and providing the groove 45 as the only channel through whichthe gas may flow. The friction between the punch and the rim of the holeis usually enough to prevent the pressure of the gas from blowing thepunch out of the hole, but if additional security for this purpose isneeded, a lock of any suitable sort may be provided, conveniently aspring latch 49 mounted on the outside of the cover cap and adapted tospring over a shoulder 50 on the punch stem and interlock therewith in amanner which will be readily apparent from the drawing. At the sametime, the lip 46 of the punch may strike the retainer plate 28, andpress it more firmly against the cartridge end, where it is held by itslatch 49. And the liquid in the extinguisher body which, on inversion,envelops the inverted upper end of the cartridge, forms a seal betweenthe retainer plate on the one hand and the cartridge end and ledge 11 onthe other. The gas escaping from the cartridge flows into the open spacesurrounding the punch, from which the extinguishing liquid is excluded,and thence through the passage 9 and pipe 47 toward the inverted bottomof the shell, without mixing with and agitating the liquid in itspassage, andpresses on the top surface of the liquid, forcing it pastthe yielding check valve and out through the hose. Opportunity for thegas to be absorbed and dissolved by the liquid is thus reduced to theminimum.

It will be appreciated that the inner wall 7, web 14, and cartridgeretainer 28, between which and the cartridge and shoulder 11 there isthe liquid seal, as described above, and may be a compressible gasketalso, if necessary,

form a partition which separates the main chamber of the extinguishercontaining the liquid from the chamber or space in which tia punch iscontained and into which the gas flows from the cartridge in the-firstinstance, preventing the liquid from flowing into this space when theextinguisher is inverted and preventing gas from leaking into the liquidwhen the'cartridge is punctured. The liquid which, when the extinguisheris inverted, en-

the cartridge lowers its temperature, but the temperature reduction ischecked and minimized by absorption of heat fromtheenvelo'pv ing liquidand by the constant substitution of warmer liquid for that which isbecoming chilled. A most effective transfer of heat from the warm liquidto the expanding gas is 1 thus obtained. Thus it' is possible to useliquefied carbon dioxideasthe impelling gas, even when theatmospherictemperature is nearly as low as the freezing point of thisliquid, without-liability of the liquid becoming solidfied and clog ingthe outlet. A further safeguard against reezing and cloggingis affordedby the fact that thegas flows away from the cartridge in passing to thepassage 9. and is prevented by the retainer plate from surrounding thecartridge and from displacing l; the liquid which surrounds thecartridge ad- 1 jacent to this plate.,

In the foregoing description of the structure I have used such terms asupper and lower for convenience.- These terms are to be construed withreference to the upright position of the extinguisher shown in thedrawings, except where the context clearly indicates that the invertedposition is referred to. v 1

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fire extinguisher of the type including a cartridge containingcompressed gas as the impelling agent, said extinguisher comprisingmeans for making a discharge opening in the cartridge, internal meansseparating the space wherein extinguishing liquid is contained from thespace into which gas is initially discharged, and means for supportingthe gas cartridge inthe first named space in position to beenveloped bythe liquid during discharge of the extinguisher.

2. A fire extinguisher of the type employing an extinguishing liquid anda compressed gas as the agent for expelling the liquid, saidextinguisher having means in itscnormally uper part for supporting a gascartridge and eing invertible for use, means for puncturing the end ofsaid cartridge which is low ermost when inverted, partitioning meansseparating the s ace into which gas flows from the cartridge, rom thespace in which the liquid is contained, said cartridge being in thelatter space and surrounded by the liquid when the extinguisher isinverted, and conducting means for leading gas from the former spaceinto the latter space above the inverted body of liquid.

3. In a fire extinguisher'of the invertible type emplo ing gas underpressure as the liquid expel gas cartridge in position to be enveloped bthe liquid when the extinguisher is inverte and provisions forconducting the gas liberated from the cartridge, away therefrom and Iing agent, means for holding the over the upper surface of the invertedbody of v liquid in a path from which the liquid is excluded. I

4. A fireextinguisher comprisin a shell,

means for supporting a closed gas ho ding cartridge in the normal yupper part of the shell, an inner wall having a supporting shoulder, aretainer plate for said cartridge overlying said shoulder, said innerwall and retainer plate dividing the interior of the shell into a lowerchamber for liquid and an upper chamer from which liquid is sustantiallyexcluded, and a conduit leading from said up er chamber toward theopposite extremity 0 the shell.

5.. A fire extinguisher comprising a shell, 7 i;

means for supporting a closed gas holding cartridge in the normallyupper part of the shell,

an inner wall having a supporting shoulder, a retainer plate for saidcartridge overlying said shoulder, said inner Wall and retainer platedividing the interior of the shell into a lower chamber for liquid andan upper chamber from which liquid is substantially excluded, and aconduit leading from said upper-"chamber toward the opposite extremityof the shell, said retainer having an opening for admission of aperforating punch and for passage of gas liberated. from the cartridge,and a punch mounted in the normally upper part of the shell and operablefrom outside thereof to open a discharge passage from the cartridge.

6. A fire extinguisher of the type employing compressed gas as theexpelling agent and adapted to be inverted when in use, saidextinguisher comprisin a casing having an in' ner wall in its norma lyupper part joined to the outer wall of the casing and provided with anexternal shoulder, separated hangers de pending from said shoulderadapted to receive a compressed gas cartridge between them and havingcartridge supporting shoulders adjacent to their lower ends, a cover capremovably mounted on the upper end of the casing and having an interiorguide sleeve, a cartridge opening punch having a stem mounted movably insaid sleeve and protruding therefrom, a retainer plate arranged to bearon said first named shoulder and to overlie the upper end of a gascartridge supported by the last named shoulders, said plate having anopening for passage of the punch and outflow of gas from the cartridge,and a spring bearing on said plate and reacting on the cover.

7. A fire extinguisher of the type employing compressed gas as theexpelling agent and adapted to he inverted when in use, saidextinguisher comprising a casing having an inner Wall in its normallyupper part joined to the outer Wall of the casing and provided With aninternal shoulder, separated hangers depending from said shoulderadapted to receive a compressed gas cartridge between them and havingcartridge supporting shoulders adjacent to their lower ends, a cover capremovably mounted on the upper end of the casing and having an interiorguide sleeve, a

cartridge opening punch having a stem' mounted movably in said sleeveand protruding therefrom, a retainer plate arranged to bear on saidfirst named shoulder and to overlie the upper end of agas cartridgesupported by the last named shoulders, said plate having an opening forpassage of the punch and outflow of gas from the cartridge, a springbearing on said plate and reacting on said hearing sleeve and connectedto the latter, and a ring interposed between the retainer plate and theadjacent end of the spring and secured thereto, said retainer platehaving lugs inter-engaged' with the ring.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

- ARTHUR C. BADGER.

